《Starvation Survival》has already invaded the world for eight days!
Everything had been converted into data, including Xuan Ling herself.
The paper money, gold bars, and all valuable wealth from before Doomsday had all turned to nothing.
No tutorial, confusion, despair—it seemed that aside from not starving to death, everything was a crisis. These were the synonyms Xuan Ling had labeled for this Doomsday game.
Without truly enduring the hardships of sleeping in the open, one could never understand how precious a king bed, a shower, and a toilet were before Doomsday!
Every day spent accompanied by damp, sweaty body odor, having to find leaves to deal with the aftermath of using a makeshift latrine... Forget it, any more talk and it'd start to smell.
The heat and the darkness were every player's nightmare!
The coolness everyone yearned for had long become a thing of the past.
But this place was different!
From the very first glance Xuan Ling caught of the Cherish Inn, the closer she got, the cooler it became.
She'd thought it was an illusion, but when she tried entering, the sticky sweat instantly dried!
This place wasn't just cool—it could restore health!
She was completely conquered by the inn. "Sister, let's just check in directly! How do I pay? With a Trade Code?"
Zhou Xi hadn't expected the first traveler to be so straightforward—clearly life outside the inn was harsh. She picked up the palm-sized cash register and scanned. "Yes, that's right."
Instantly, the cash register announced: "Cherish Inn received 60Q!"
Xuan Ling was thrilled beyond words. "So I can still hear such a familiar payment sound in my lifetime!"
"Things will get better," Zhou Xi comforted with sympathy.
Xuan Ling chattered familiarly, "Originally I was devastated—the supplies I'd hidden in the birch forest were stolen by a bunch of moles, and I wanted to die. But then I thought about how I'd encountered a real inn, and I figured my luck had turned! I'll definitely get better and better!"
"You're very optimistic." Zhou Xi nodded to show she was listening, but being socially anxious, she wasn't good at chatting, so she stuck to business. "Please stand at this spot. I'll activate room permissions for you on my end."
Xuan Ling cheerfully stood at the designated spot.
Zhou Xi operated the Management Panel, and a hover orb appeared above the front desk, its light scanning Xuan Ling from head to toe.
【Xuan Ling
Age: Automatically hidden
Identity: Automatically hidden
Status: Excited（This traveler has increased consumption ability by 20%. If she encounters an item she likes, clearing the shelves is common）】
Zhou Xi's eyes lit up as if she'd seen a Little God of Wealth. "Accommodation information successfully recorded. Welcome! All inn room doors use facial recognition unlocking, so there are no room cards. Your room number is 101—first door on the right down there. If you have any problems, just come find me at the front desk."
"Okay, thank you, sister." Xuan Ling had completely dropped her guard, waving her hand. "Finally, I can get a good night's sleep! See you in a bit, sister!"
"Mm, go on." Zhou Xi's tone carried a touch of kindness.
Although the system had automatically hidden Xuan Ling's age and identity during the scan, Zhou Xi could easily guess this was a student who was vigilant yet not particularly guarded.
1. Post a Rental Advertisement once√
2. Receive 1 traveler（1/1）√
【You obtained [Standard Room]*2, unlocked the [King Room] facility!】
【Inn Prosperity +10】
Two more rooms gifted! Praise the Management Mini-System!
【The first step is always the hardest. No matter how many resources you have, you need to plan reasonably. Next, you'll face many management decisions.
Side Quest:
1. Enter the Shop and Build a facility with the [Food and Drink] tag.
2. Receive 10 travelers（1/10）
3. Receive one long-term tenant（0/1）
Friendly reminder: Within the inn, long-term rental is defined as a lease term of one month or more（including monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual leases）.】
Zhou Xi looked toward the newly appeared corner icon under the arrow's guidance—the Shop.
After clicking in, as expected, most buildings were grayed out. Zhou Xi quickly searched by the [Food and Drink] tag and filtered out only two facilities within the inn's balance range.
【Small Convenience Store: 3000Q
Contains [Instant Food] and [Daily Necessities] goods. Products randomly rotate daily.】
【Small Restaurant: Special price 4999Q, original price 5000Q
Contains four round tables, mainly home-style dishes. Requires an employee with the [Cooking] skill to operate.】
Zhou Xi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The inn's account balance was still the initial capital of 5000Q—so the Shop was worried she'd go bankrupt buying the Small Restaurant and had thoughtfully offered a special discount.
Not to mention the restaurant's construction cost exceeded the budget, she didn't even have a Chef with maxed skills.
All things considered, building the Small Convenience Store was the most suitable choice.
Zhou Xi quickly made her decision and clicked Build. The Hover Screen immediately popped up a full layout of the inn—she just needed to find a green empty grid to place the facility.
She'd choose to build it... in the empty space beside the lobby. Travelers could step out and grab a meal and spend money right away.
No waiting required—the Small Convenience Store was already open.
【Inn Prosperity +5】
Zhou Xi excitedly left her seat and walked toward one side of the crude lobby. Sure enough, a narrow convenience store had appeared.
She walked in to take a look.
On the left was the Instant Food Section—three rows of shelves, from top to bottom holding bottled water, cup noodles, and rice bowls, three items per row.
On the right were Daily Necessities, same setup, holding sunscreen, small fans, and sanitary pads in order.
Straight ahead was a hot water dispenser, the machine separating two seats.
Truly small in size but complete in every respect.
【Hidden Quest triggered! Completing hidden quests grants random unexpected rewards. Hurry and open the [Small Convenience Store] Management Panel to check the quest details!】
Zhou Xi indeed found the Small Convenience Store icon on the global map. Clicking it brought up:
【Convenience Store（Small）: I have so few goods, I can't satisfy most customers' needs.
[One-Click Restock]: When shelves are sold out, remember to click me~
[Product List]: Before upgrading, products rotate randomly and cannot be manually changed.
Conditions to upgrade to Medium Convenience Store: At least 100 travelers must patronize my business, otherwise upgrading will still lead to bankruptcy.】
"A machine with Self-Awareness?" Zhou Xi couldn't help asking, but received no answer from the system or the convenience store.
No matter—Zhou Xi would work hard to fulfill the convenience store's wish.
Long stretches of time were always boring. Zhou Xi rummaged through the front desk drawer and found a thick book called 《Robot Maintenance Manual（Complete 10 Volumes）》.
She'd use it to pass the time! Learning would surely be useful.
Zhou Xi propped her chin on her hand, wondering when the next traveler would arrive?
*
This should be the place.
Jiang Wen looked at the pop-up ad in her Game Panel—about A4 paper size, with "Cherish Inn" taking up the top half and "Grand Opening" filling the bottom half.
The inn's coordinates were in the very center.
Before Doomsday, this kind of Leaflet would've been sent back by the client to be redone.
Large beads of sweat rolled down like peas, and when one accidentally slid into the corner of her eye, the slight sting made her blink to ease it.
That was nothing—what bothered Jiang Wen most right now was that after rushing all the way here, her fingers were swollen like sausages, numb to the touch, and even bending them was a struggle.
The Cherish Inn's signboard came into view. Jiang Wen put away her Game Panel, wiped the hot sweat from her face, and walked straight in.
Zhou Xi was diligently studying the 《Robot Maintenance Manual（Complete 10 Volumes）》, and only slowly looked up when she heard the Automatic Door open.
The woman who entered this time had a powerful presence, radiating a cool, aloof aura. Zhou Xi unconsciously straightened up.
It was like, like a big boss suddenly coming in to inspect while she was at work.
Normally at times like this, Zhou Xi—who'd sneakily slack off—would calmly look at her computer and furiously type away at the keyboard. But now, all she had in front of her was a thick book.
Transitioning from a wage slave earning three thousand a month to her own boss, Zhou Xi still wasn't quite used to it. But as an excellent front desk worker, she wouldn't neglect any customer—she had to take the initiative.
"Hello!"
Jiang Wen nodded politely in response. "Boss, let me see the rooms first."
A simple, clear request—compared to the pure Xuan Ling and the wage slave Zhou Xi, this was clearly a veteran of the pre-Doomsday workplace.
Zhou Xi stepped forward to lead the way. "No problem, please follow me."
Before a traveler checked in, all guest rooms defaulted to unlocking with Zhou Xi's Iris. Once a traveler checked in, Zhou Xi's Iris would become invalid for the duration of their stay.
Zhou Xi introduced smoothly, "All rooms use facial recognition unlocking, so there are no room cards. Currently, Single Rooms and Standard Rooms are available. 102 is a single room, and 103 and 104 are standard rooms."
Jiang Wen casually inspected the rooms.
Standing up to compare, Zhou Xi objectively realized this woman was tall—definitely over 170.
However, Zhou Xi couldn't quite figure out this traveler who looked like a client's mother.
"Ma'am, may I ask..."
"One Single Room."
Zhou Xi and Jiang Wen spoke at the same time, and both smiled knowingly.
Jiang Wen's smile was faint, but one could tell it was already her most brilliant smile. "Rent for one month first."
Zhou Xi was slightly taken aback, but no longer found this woman stern. "Alright, if there are no problems, let's sign the lease contract over here."
Back at the front desk, the lease contract had already been drafted by the system—only the amount needed to be filled in. The Management Panel listed the price at 1440Q per month.
Zhou Xi didn't modify it and sent the contract over.
A new document immediately appeared on Jiang Wen's Game Panel, and she read it carefully.
Monthly rent calculated as 30 days, One Month Deposit, One Month Rent. The 1440Q rent is the price after a 20% discount, including water, electricity, and Cleaning fees—no additional charges.
After travelers leave their rooms each day, the rooms are automatically cleaned.
Items in the room that are naturally damaged are repaired for free. Subletting is not allowed.
Use of facilities outside the guest room requires separate payment.
After reading, Jiang Wen noticed her swollen hands had already reduced in the comfortable temperature.
Although the room had few items, drawn by the cool temperature, Jiang Wen didn't hesitate further. After all, it was the Apocalypse—the fact that the inn could still proactively sign contracts to protect tenants' rights showed its sincerity.
She signed her name and opened her Player Trade Code.
Zhou Xi understood, picked up the cash register, and scanned. "The contract is in duplicate. One Month Deposit, One Month Rent—2880Q total."
"Mm, no problem." After paying, Jiang Wen seemed to let out a breath of relief.
Zhou Xi faintly sensed the other party was filled with relief, and registered her check-in as usual.
【Jiang Wen
Age: Automatically hidden
Identity: Automatically hidden
Status: Calm Mind（This traveler's mood is like a calm lake—it seems a fierce wind would be needed to stir up a vast ocean）】
No special bonus was fine too. Zhou Xi smiled slightly. "Done. Welcome to 102."
"Thank you." Jiang Wen nodded and headed toward the guest room corridor, then turned toward the convenience store.
Coincidentally, Xuan Ling—who'd had a full sleep—came out of her room. She walked puzzled toward the end of the corridor, clearly having noticed the double rooms that hadn't been there before her.
At the same time, Zhou Xi's Management Panel popped up:
【You received 2 travelers' complaints!】
Huh? Huh? What happened?